The Butterfly Effect
by TayaCurragh
Summary: When Snape holds himself back and doesn't call Lily a Mudblood when she comes to his aid in his fifth year, he had no idea of its consequences. He didn't realise one small thing could have such an impact on the whole wizarding world. Canon pairings.
1. Chapter 1

**The Butterfly Effect**

**A/N: This was written for Shira Lansys' 'Speed of Lightning' Challenge, for this round the rules were that it had to be over 6000 words. This first part is 1,122 words, without any authors notes, so 4878 to go!**

* * *

**Prologue**

It's strange how one small thing can change so much.

One little thing is different, and it may change many lives to come. It's impossible to say where the cause and effect of that one single thing changes, as it affects so many other things and spreads out. But, without it, everything would be different. It expands and expands, until it's almost unbelievable that it was just one single, tiny detail that changed it all.

That it was just the restraint of one humiliated boy, who stopped himself flaring up and insulting one of his only friends, who changed everything.

* * *

"Quills down, please!" Flitwick's squeaky voice called from the front of the room. "Please remain seated while I collect your parchment! Accio!"

Once all the papers had been collected, Flitwick called, "Very well, everybody, you're free to go!"

Severus Snape shoved his quill into his bag, frowning at the exam paper lying on his desk. Defence Against the Dark Arts was his favourite subject, with potions coming a very close second. The Dark Arts fascinated him, and he spent a lot of his free time studying them, and therefore the exam did not faze him at all.

Ignoring the crowd of students all aiming for the door, he picked up his question paper and poured over it. In the exam, he felt his brain was on some sort of auto-pilot, and he hadn't actually taken in the questions or the answers he had written for them, it was as if all his knowledge just poured out onto the page without him directing it. He skimmed over the questions, trying to think of his answers for all of them.

He wandered outside, eyes squinting against the harsh sunshine. He had never been one to like the sun, he hated how it made everything feel uncomfortable. Mentally cursing the cumbersome robes they had to wear for their uniform, he found sat down in the shade of some large bushes, still analysis his exam paper.

The exam had been easy, _too easy, _he thought. No wonder how so many people passed, it hadn't even touched on the further reading they were supposed to do for class, which many people did not bother to do. There were large sections of the course that were not tested, which annoyed him. His eyes settled on the last question, _' Describe the effects of the three unforgivable curses.'_

It was questions like these that he disliked. He hated the one-dimension style of the curriculum at Hogwarts, it did not encourage debate or growth. The teachers were too set in their ways. He would much rather the question was '_Analyse arguments for and against the unforgivable curses being illegal. _But that would never happen here, as the British Wizarding population are too set in their ways, seeing the world in either black or white. What they didn't realise was that no magic was _Dark,_ it depends on how you use it. Would using an unforgivable to murder an evil wizard be a bad thing? Or to put someone or an animal out of their misery? He knew for a fact that so called 'light' wizards used spells such as _Obliviate _often, surely that should be frowned upon, as they are tampering with people's memories, and who gave them such right?

He frowned again, wishing his parents had sent him to Durmstrang, like he had asked, so he could unlock his true potential. Stuffing his exam paper in his bag, he stood up, making his way back across the grass, sick of the sunlight and the giggling girls around him and seeking the solitude of the dungeons.

"All right, Snivellus?" A voice called.

Severus instantly dropped his bag and pulled out his wand. He immediately recognised the voice, and even if he had not, there was no one else in the school who called him that, other than the so called 'Marauders'.

He raised his wand and began saying a spell when Potter shouted a disarming spell, and his wand flew high into the air and landed in the grass several feet away from him. He drove forwards but heard Potter shout another curse, (Impedimenta!) and felt as if someone was pulling his ankles back, slowing him down. He struggled against the spell, his hand still a couple of feet away from his wand. He could hear laughing students around him but could, and would not look up, as he was still struggling for his wand and did not want to see the students laughing at him.

One of the boys shouted another curse, throwing Severus back away from his wand. Bursts of laughter came from the crowd of students around him.

He forced his head up to meet Potter's and swore loudly at him.

"Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?" Potter asked.

"Let me help you," Black smirked, pointing his wand at Severus. "Scourgify!"

Severus' mouth immediately filled up with soapy bubbles, the taste of them making him gag. They frothed out of his mouth, more and more growing, choking him.

"Leave him ALONE!"

Severus would have jumped at that voice, if he were able to move. He knew who it was. Lily. They were close friends since they met when they were little, and stubbornly remained friendly during their first few years at school, but had drifted slowly apart over the past year or so, much to Severus' disappointment.

Severus watched helplessly as Lily argued with Potter and Black. He felt anger rise up again as Potter determinedly flirted with Lily, saying he would leave Severus alone if she agrees to go out with him. For a moment he feels his heart sink, wondering if Lily would do that.

Potter sent another curse his way, as Lily was distracted by Black. He found himself dangling upside down, his robes falling over his face and partially obscuring his vision, but he could still see Potter and Lily. A wave of laughter came from all sides; he had almost forgotten about the crowd of onlookers as he had been too busy watching Lily.

"I wouldn't go out with you if you were the last man on earth!" Lily shouted. Looking up at Severus, her lips quirked, and Severus was struck with the fear that she was going to laugh at him. "Let him down."

He felt a sudden anger at Lily for almost laughing at him. As he fell with a thud to the floor, he scrambled for his wand and then got to his feet as fast as his back, aching from the impact, would allow.

"I don't need your help!" He shouted at Lily, storming off towards the dungeons, grabbing his bag on the way.

* * *

**A/N: Notice anything different? :P The next chapter shall be up soon as the due date is very very soon :) Please review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**The Butterfly Effect**

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who put this story on alert, I wasn't expecting so many! It would be nice to have some feedback on the story, though :) This chapter brings my word count up to 2446, leaving me with 3554 to go for the challenge! The story shouldn't be finished by that word count however, I expect it to go on for a lot longer :)**

* * *

**Part 2 **

"Sev?" a familiar feminine voice called softly from behind him. Severus turned around, surprised to see Lily standing behind him. She hadn't called him that for a long time. He didn't say a word as she sat down opposite him on the small library table, and regarded his pile of books, which he was studying for his last OWL, potions.

He hadn't seen Lily in about a week, which, whilst he wouldn't imagine possible during their first years at Hogwarts, was now a common occurrence. He felt awful at himself for insulting her during The Incident when she was only trying to help him. He didn't know why he did it, he just though for a moment that she was going to go along with Potter. And that hurt him more than anything else ever had before.

"I wasn't laughing at you, you know," she said softly. "Potter and his friends aren't funny. I just think they're cruel."

"You weren't?" he said, looking up at her for the first time. Her bright eyes were glossy; she looked as if she was going to cry. That scared Severus; he didn't know how to act around crying girls.

"I would never laugh at you."

"I believe you. I'm sorry for saying I didn't want your help."

She blinked away the tears which were forming, before observing him. They sat in silence, neither knowing what to say, when Lily broke it a few minutes later.

"We were best friends, Sev. We were inseparable. What happened?"

"I don't know," he said quietly.

"I've missed you."

"I've missed you, too," he admitted. It was the first time he had ever admitted any sort of feeling to another person. He truly had missed Lily's friendship.

"Let's not let ourselves grow apart again, hm, Sev?" Lily said.

"Sure," he gave a small smile, which he reserved for only her.

* * *

A few days later and Severus found himself on the Hogwarts express, returning home. He would miss Hogwarts over the holidays, especially the dungeons and the extensive library which he spent so much time in. Whilst he disliked some aspects of Hogwarts, mostly the other people, home wasn't any better. He didn't want to return home, with his father drinking too much and his mother powerless to stop him. The only good thing was that he would be able to see Lily often over the summer, as she lived on the other side of town from him.

He found an empty compartment and sat alone, looking back through his potions textbook from that year. It was covered in cramped, messy handwriting, much like the rest of his textbooks, although his Potions and Defence Against the Dark Arts textbooks had considerably more notes in the margins than the rest of them. He was reviewing the changed he had made to one of the more complicated potions he had learnt during that year, which Professor Slughorn warned will come up again in their NEWTs, but with an extra step.

He looked up as the door slid open, and a familiar red-head popped her head in.

"Hey, Sev. Mind if I sit with you?"

"Sure."

"You write in your textbooks?" she asked, shocked. Severus almost smirked at the look of horror on her face. To Lily, defacing a book was a terrible crime.

"Yes, I write any improvements or modifications which can be made to the spell or potion."

"Mind if I look?" She asked, taking the book as he nodded. He watched her face change as she read.

"Wow, Sev!" She said, looking up at him in wonder, "I didn't realise you were so good at potions, we don't even need to modify our own potions until seventh year, and not even much then. Not unless you do a Potions mastery."

"Thanks," he said, glowing at her praise. If he was one to blush, he would be red as a tomato, but luckily for him he was not one to do so. Lily was, however, and he smiled at the flush creeping up her cheeks when he pointed out that she was one of the best at Potions in their class, too.

* * *

The summer passed in an unusual way for Severus, who usually felt it dragging and couldn't wait to get back to Hogwarts, away from his father and the altogether depressing mood which settled over his gloomy house and engulfed anyone who entered the building. The days spent at home dragged excruciatingly slowly, whilst the days which he saw Lily seemed to speed up and were over before they felt like they even began.

Luckily for Severus, his mother had taken him on a trip to Diagon Alley as she had to buy some more potion ingredients. This allowed him to purchase his textbooks for his sixth year a lot sooner than usual, as she usually took him on the last day, unwilling to leave the house. He was not sure which subjects he would be taking next year as he had not yet received his OWL results, so he just had to guess and hope that he had not wasted their small amount of money on classes which he had not passed. He shuddered, thinking of what his father's response would be if that were the case.

He spent the time he had to remain in the house pouring over his books, trying to adjust to the difference in tone and depth now that they were studying for their NEWTs. The depth of the potions textbook was much more detailed and they were to be brewing much more complicated potions, which pleased Severus greatly. The same appeared to be true for his other subjects, although he wasn't as interested in them. However, the only difference in Defence Against the Dark Arts was the difficulty of skills they were to be practicing, including nonverbal spells, but no difference in theory, which disappointed him greatly, although he hadn't expected otherwise.

He woke up late on sunny morning to a loud tapping at his window. He jumped out of bed and opened the window, letting the tawny owl fly into the room and perch on his desk, holding out its leg. As soon as he untied the letter, the owl flew back out of the window, and he watched it go, flying into the distance.

He felt his heart speed up as he regarded the envelope, as if it were a monster rather than a harmless piece of parchment. He had kept himself busy and tried not to worry about his examination results, but every now and then a worrying thought flittered across his mind. He was a Slytherin after all, and he was sorted into that house because of his ambition. He would not end up like his father, a talentless drunk, or his mother, who did nothing to stop him. He wanted to prove his worth, that he was not just the son of a muggle and a less than mediocre witch, which is why he worked so hard. He wanted the name 'Severus Snape' to mean something.

He opened the parchment envelope with shaking hands. He read over the list of grades quickly, his heart slowing as he took in his grades. There was nothing below 'Acceptable,' he had passed every exam he had taken. He had received several O's, including Potions and Defence Against the Dark Arts, a couple of EE's and a single A, in Arithmancy, Severus' least favourite subject.

A knock on the door echoed through the silent house. Severus knew immediately who it was, only one person dared to face his father's wrath by approaching the house. He walked down the stairs as fast as possible, opening the door before his father was able to.

"Sev!" Lily announced, "I passed! I passed everything!"

She launched forward and pulled him into a hug.

"Me too," he said, unable to help a rare smile form on his lips.


	3. Chapter 3

**The Butterfly Effect**

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews, it's nice to know what parts people like/dislike :) This chapter introduces 3 new characters, 2 of which are mentioned briefly in the books, and a third of my creation.**

**Thanks to Professor Radar for pointing out that I mixed up Avery and Mulciber in this chapter a few times :) I began with their roles switched, but decided to change them as Mulciber was described as more cruel in the books.**

* * *

**Part 3**

Severus gave a quick wave goodbye to his mother and pulled his trunk onto the train quickly, relieved that he made it. His father decided to cause an argument with his mother just before they were about to leave, and Severus was worried he would not get to the train on time. What happened if students missed the train? He didn't know, and did not want to find out.

The train whistled and began to move only moments after he had got on. Hauling his trunk behind him, he knew there was no hope in searching for an empty compartment where he could read in peace, as they would all be taken up already. Instead, he headed towards the first compartment that contained someone he recognised.

"Severus," Avery nodded.

"Evander," Severus greeted back. He was sitting next to a dark-haired boy he did not know by name, but knew that he was in the year below him and Avery. His heart sank as he recognised the third person in the compartment; it was a boy in the year above, Mulciber. They had never got on well, as Mulciber was a strong believer of blood purity, and saw even talking to those who were not purebloods as traitorous, and therefore disliked Severus' friendship with Lily. Severus was glad that no one at Hogwarts knew that his father was a Muggle, or he would never hear the end of it from the Slytherins. It was for this reason that he was careful when speaking about his parents, when he rarely spoke about them, and usually just mentioned his mother. The others probably assumed that his father was not around. This was also frowned upon in the pureblood society, but he'd rather them believe that than know the truth.

Keeping a blank expression on his face, and pulled out his transfiguration textbook and began to read, despite having read all of his books multiple times at home. The other boy's conversation was really distracting, however, so he found he could not concentrate. This was unusual, as he tuning out the outside world was a talent of his, one he often used at home.

After an hour or so of failing to take in more than a single sentence, he closed his book and decided to join in their conversation, instead. They were now talking about Quidditch, something Severus did not play himself (he liked to keep both his feet firmly on the ground, thank you very much), but he liked watching, as most of the wizarding population did. The boy he didn't know, who he found was called Darnell, was going to try out for the Quidditch team this year, as two Chaser positions were open now that the previous ones had left the year before.

The rest of the journey passed by quite fast, and Severus found himself enjoying talking to Evander and Darnell, but he wasn't keen on Mulciber, whose first name turned out to be Braxton, as he seemed harsher than the other two. He decided to be civil to him, however. He was surprised that he had begun to feel relaxed, and enjoyed talking to boys his own age, as he usually went out of his way to be alone, and other than that his only friend was female. It was nice to sit and talk about Quidditch (which Lily was never keen on), and their fellow Slytherins as well as some of the other houses, which he didn't really talk about with Lily.

The train eventually pulled into Hogsmeade station, and they climbed in a carriage together, joined by a Ravenclaw none of them knew, who seemed to regret getting into their carriage as soon as he had sat down. The trip passed in a slightly awkward silence, with one of them occasionally commenting, but it was mostly quiet. Severus wished he had not put his book back into his trunk before he left the train, as usually he took one up to the feast with him. He wondered if he should stay with them throughout the feast, or whether they would leave him when they saw the other Slytherins. For the first time in his life, he wished they wouldn't.

Severus spotted Lily climbing out of another carriage, who waved enthusiastically when she spotted him. He nodded back, feeling the other's gazes on him. He could feel Mulciber's disapproving gaze follow him the whole way into the Great Hall, but he did not care what the other boy thought. They weren't friends anyway, and he had no desire to be so.

To his pleasure, Mulciber disappeared as soon as they entered the Great Hall, to sit with some other seventh years. By the time the three of them passed him, they were already in deep conversation.

The feast went much faster than any other feast had before, which Severus attributed to his new...friends? He wasn't sure if they counted, but he certainly enjoyed their company like he didn't enjoy most other peoples. For once, he was thankful for his parents argumentative nature, as without them making him late for the train, he never would have sat in the compartment with them, and would have spent the journey alone, reading or making notes, like he usually did.

Too soon, they were in the dungeons, their stomachs full from the feast, heading to bed. Darnell had already slipped into the fifth years dormitory, but the sixth years was a little further along the corridor which branched off behind the common room. When they reached the door, he headed for his bed, saying a quick 'night' to Evander, as he never had been a man of many words.

"Severus, wait," Evander said. "You know, I always thought you were a bit weird. But you're actually alright."

Severus nodded, before climbing into bed.  
_

The first few weeks passed quickly for Severus, who, despite having read his books already and so had already adjusted to the change from OWL's to NEWT level, found himself with more work piling up than ever before. He was glad he had done so much reading over the summer, as it sped up the work he had to do considerably, he couldn't begin to imagine how he would have been able to work without it.

He spent what little free time he had divided between Evander and Darnell, sometimes with Mulciber, to his displeasure, and spending time with Lily.

He was spending a much needed day off, with Lily, in the school grounds. They were sitting underneath a small tree, making the most of the weather before winter approached. There weren't many students around, as the day was cool in comparison to the warm days they had at the very start of term. It wouldn't be long before it snowed, the air was getting considerably colder and the days shorter.

"I can't believe we're sixth years already," Lily said, looking out onto the lake. "It seemed like just yesterday you told me about the magical world."

Severus said nothing, and Lily did not expect him to. Most of their friendship was based around sitting together, working together, reading together. They didn't need to talk, happy enough just to sit be in each other's presence. When they did talk, it was mostly Lily who provided most of the conversation, although neither of them minded.

"I remember crossing the lake, on those boats. In less than two years we'll be crossing it again, for our graduation ceremony."

Severus remembered that day, too. He had looked for Lily amongst the crowd, but there were already four in her boat, two other girls and that Lupin boy. He remembered the feeling of disappointment and instead took a place in the first boat he came across. That was the first time he worried that they would not stay friends during their time at Hogwarts.

"It's gone by so fast," she sighed, pulling a flower of out the grass and playing with it.

"Do you have any idea what you want to do after Hogwarts?" she asked, looking up at him.

"No," he admitted. He was thinking about something to do with Defence Against the Dark Arts, or Potions, but what could he do with DADA? The only jobs which require it were Aurors or some other branches of the Ministry of Magic, and he had no desire to work for the Ministry.

"Sev, I'm worried about you," she admitted, nervously chewing on her lower lip.

He looked up, surprised. She was telling the truth, her green eyes shone with concern.

"Me?"

"Yes," she replied, closing her eyes for a few seconds. "I've noticed you've become friends with Mulciber. It's just, he seems... cruel."

"But he's not…"

"He is!" Lily said, getting frustrated. She was really worried about him, but he seemed to not want to listen. "I have no idea what he did to Mary the other day, but she's been really upset since. And I know that him and his bunch of seventh year friends are You-know-who supporters, and they're planning on joining him when they graduate."

"Lily," he said, and the sound of her name seemed to calm her down. "I'm not friends with Mulciber. I don't like him, either. He just likes to sit with us sometimes; I think he's Evander – Avery's cousin."

"Oh."

They sat in a comfortable silence, before Lily piped up again.

"Sev, can you promise me something?"

"Yes?"

"Promise me that no matter that happens, you won't become a Death Eater."

"But I wouldn't any…"

"Please, for me," she said, looking up at him with big eyes.

"I'm never going to become a Death Eater," he said, and the big smile he received in return took his breath away.


	4. Chapter 4

**The Butterfly Effect**

**A/N: I've finally reached the word limit for the challenge :) But don't worry, I'm continuing the story, I expect it to end up much much longer than this :) However, after this chapter, I can't guarantee fast updates, and they definitely wont be as fast as these first 4 chapters. At the longest, I'll have to wait until the end of my exams in mid May, but if I have any free time before then I'll try and get some more written :)**

* * *

**Part 4**

As his work load increased, Severus felt as if it may be more practical for him to permanently move into the library. He was there almost every day, reading up on some spell or researching alternate ways to make potions. Often he was accompanied by either Lily or Darnell, and very occasionally both, although during the past few weeks, Evander had slowly drifted away from their group, weighed down with his workload. He would still occasionally sit with them during mealtimes, or in the common room, but most of the time Severus spotted him sitting alone, working, and occasionally with Mulciber.

* * *

Severus was walking with Darnell, returning from the library after a long day working on a complicated potions essay, chatting amicably about the upcoming Christmas holidays. Darnell was returning home, to his family in London, whilst Severus was staying at Hogwarts, unwilling to return home and instead planning on using the library to get started on next terms work.

He heard footsteps approaching; belonging to voices he recognised immediately; Mulciber and Evander. He couldn't hear their exact words, but the tone did not sound pleasant. He grabbed Darnell's arm, and pulled them backwards into a tapestry that he knew from his wanderings in first year concealed a secret archway. It was not very large, it looked more like a passageway to another room which had long since caved in, but it concealed them from the corridor and still allowed them to hear the conversation, which was more than he hoped for.

"Where are we going?" he heard Evander ask.

"To the library," Mulciber replied, his tone unpleasant.

"I'm not stupid, you know," Evander snapped, "There's no reason for you to literally _drag _me to the library. I can walk myself."

Mulciber did not answer. The voices stopped, but their footsteps continued to echo through the corridor, they were still a distance away from the tapestry they were hidden behind. Severus strained his ears, thinking he heard another voice. A few seconds later, there was the scuffling sound.

Darnell was about to step forward, when Severus held him back. "You're a Slytherin! Do you have no sense of self-preservation?" he hissed.

Before he could answer back, a door slammed shut and the corridor was quiet.

* * *

Later that evening, Severus found himself on his bed, finishing the potions essay he had begun earlier. The Common room and the dormitories were unusually quiet, as Severus had returned early from dinner, and most of the other Slytherins were still there.

For the second time that day, the sound of arguing filled his ears. The door slammed open, and a disgruntled looking Evander came in, followed closely by Darnell, whom the door narrowly missed slamming on. Evander looked at him in surprise, as if he were hoping the dorm would be empty, before swiftly crossing his room and climbing on his bed, pulling the silk emerald curtains shut around him.

As Severus watched him cross the room, he couldn't help but notice his limp, it looked as if his left leg had been injured but had not been healed properly. Darnell stood in front of the door, before crossing the room and standing in front of the bed which separated Severus' own and Evander's.

"Evander," Darnell said. "I'm not trying to argue with you. I just want to know what happened to you."

"Nothing happened," Evander replied. "I'm fine. I just want to sleep."

Severus knew that he was lying, but he was unsure if Darnell should be bothering Evander when he clearly didn't want to be bothered.

"You're hurt," Darnell replied.

"No, I'm not. I just fell over, that's all," Evander said, but his voice sounded far too controlled and level.

"Evander," Darnell sighed. Still, Severus watched the exchange, unsure of what to do. He knew that if Lily was upset, he would be there for her, to find out what was wrong and try to make it right, because that's what friends do. It wasn't quite the same kind of friendship that he shared with Evander and Darnell, but he knew he should try and help.

"It was Mulciber," Severus said, not as a question, but as a statement.

"Yes," came the reply, after a few moment of silence.

"Why?" Darnell asked.

"Because you said no," Severus supplied, putting the pieces together and understanding what had been going on.

Evander pulled the curtains back, so he was no longer obscured from view, looking at Severus, clearly wondering how he had guessed.

"To what?" Darnell asked, looking between the two of them with a confused expression on his face. Severus felt a rush of sympathy, another feeling which had previously eluded him, due to his lack of friendships. The only time he felt anything close to this was when Lily was telling him about her strained relationship with her muggle sister, but that was different from this situation.

"They wanted you to join," Severus said again, remembering his conversation with Lily a few weeks previously. "To join the Death Eaters. That's what all of those Seventh year boys Mulciber hangs around with plan to do after they graduate."

Evander nodded. "I said no."

"I can't imagine they were too pleased with that," Darnell said, finally understanding the situation.

"They weren't. Mulciber had been pressuring me to join for ages, saying our family would be disappointed with me if I don't, but today we happened to pass a bunch of his friends whilst we were arguing about it. Well, I think it was a set up."

"Why didn't you?" Severus asked, whilst Darnell stepped forward and, with Evander's permission, checked over his leg. Darnell wanted to be a Healer when he finished Hogwarts, and was always helping out other students with their problems.

"Would you have?" He asked Severus. They had never really talked about their beliefs in blood purity before, so Severus was unsure where they stood. It didn't help that wasn't entirely sure what he thought, either.

"No," Severus replied immediately, thinking of Lily's smile when he had promised her he wouldn't.

"I'd like to think I wouldn't, if I had a choice," Darnell piped up, he had been silently working on the injured leg, "but if they forced me, or threatened to hurt someone I care about, I think I would have to."

"Exactly," Evander replied. "I believe that Purebloods are superior magically, due to magic being in our family for generations without being weakened by Muggle blood."

"But you don't believe in how the Death Eaters are going about it," Severus finished. It was exactly how he felt too, thinking of his father and trying not to think of Lily. Lily was muggle-born, but she was an exceptional witch, which confused Severus about his beliefs, so he tried not to think about it.

"Blood purity, yes," Darnell agreed, having finished fixing up the injured leg and was now sitting on the foot of Evanders bed, "not mindless torture of muggles, where does that get them?"

The door opened, and the three other sixth year Slytherins entered, effectively ending their conversation. It was too controversial and dangerous a topic to talk about in front of other people, especially when those other people were Slytherins and probably had parents who were either Death Eaters or sympathisers to their cause.

"I'll catch you later," Darnell said, leaving the room. Evander closed his curtains, looking unhappy at the presence of the others.

* * *

Severus was sitting outside, alone, on an uncharacteristically warm day in January. Darnell was playing chess with Evander, who had become closer to them again, in the Common Room, but Severus wanted to get away from the noise. The Christmas holidays had come and gone, and with it an enormous sense of relief amongst the fifth years and above, who were finally able to have a break from work, or a chance to catch up for those who had fallen behind.

Now they were back for the Spring term, refreshed from the break and ready to face the onslaught on work they were expecting was waiting for them to return. The term began tomorrow, but most of the student population returned on Friday, as that was the official start of term, although classes did not begin until the Monday.

"Hey, Snivellous!" A voice called, and Severus jumped up and pulled his wand out, turning on the spot to face the voice. Potter was standing there with Sirius, and he expected that if he dared look away from them for a second, he would see the other two sitting somewhere nearby, the Pettigrew boy watching with a disgusting expression of awe on his face.

Potter raised his wand, but Severus got there first, aiming a body-bind curse which hit him square in the chest. He topped over, but before he could do the same to Black, Black had muttered the counter-curse and Potter was on his feet again, his expression changed from playful to determined. Severus was hit by two disarming curses at the same time, throwing him backwards, where he landed on the grass in a tangled heap.

He felt those around him turn and watch, and he cursed it being such a warm day, as it meant there were more people outside than there should have been on a January afternoon. He got to his feet as fast as he could, wondering why he hadn't been hit with another curse yet. As soon as he made it to his feet, Potter shouted another curse and his legs turned to jelly, folding beneath him. He tried to move towards his fallen wand, which was lying a few feet away, as he was no use without it, when another curse hit him, throwing him further away from his wand and making his body ache all over.

"What?" he heard Potter yelp. Struggling to lift his head, he saw that the Gryffindor was on the floor, his legs seemingly have collapsed underneath him, with Black swiftly following suit.

"Two on one doesn't seem very fair, does it?" Darnell said, stepping forward, kicking their legs out of the way as he approached Severus.

"Are you ok?" He asked, picking up his wand and handing it back to him.

"Yes, thanks," Severus said, refusing Darnell's hand and getting to his feet himself. "But I can take care of myself," he said, turning on his heel and striding towards the castle, the crowd dispersed now that it was over.

"Really?" Darnell said, appearing beside him.

"Yes." They continued to walk in silence, through the doors to the castle and through the twisting corridors of the dungeons.

"Severus," the younger boy said, as they approached the portrait which concealed the Slytherin common room and dormitories. "it's not a bad thing, or weak, to accept another's help."

Severus regarded the boy as he said the password and disappeared through the passage, leaving Severus standing there. He was used to being alone, he always had been. He always had no one to rely on but his own talent and brains, and he had grown used to sorting out his own problems. But it didn't have to always be that way, he realised. He was no longer alone, he had Lily again, and now he had both Evander and Darnell, who were there for each other, as Darnell had already shown on two separate occasions. _He has the loyalty of a Hufflepuff, _Severus joked to himself.

Saying the password, the snakes wound around the portrait and opened. As he walked through the passage, he felt as if a weight had lifted from his shoulders. He had people who cared about him; he no longer had to be alone.


End file.
